Sausage slitting machine



Nov. 25, 1941.- I v. L. BUNDSCHU 2,263,869

SAUSAGE SLITTING MACHINE Filed July 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 K X W Ego-Z0 k INVENTOR.

BY O J ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 25, 1941. v, L. BL JND SCHU $263,869

SAUSAGE SLITTING MACHINE Fi'led Jilly 26, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR A TTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 25, 1941 TED STATES; PATENT eerie-e Y 2,263,869 SAUSAGE SLITTINGMACHINE V ncent L, Bundschu Louisvi lle, K Application July 26; 1939,; Serial No. 286,686

(pl-l 1 1-26) 1? Claims,-

This invention relates to a machine for pro:- ducing annular cuts or slits in sausages 5.0,, sto produce the specially prepared product disclosed in my. co-pending application covering a sausage, filed June-16, 1939, Serial No. 279,583.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine which can feed, sausages in rapid sucsession therethrough' and, during: such, passage, cut throughv the skin or jacket ofv each sausa so as to produce annular incisions which extend through the skin butnot through the sausage.

A further objectisc. to provide a machine of this. character which is simple in construction,

can be easily actuated, and which adapts itself 7 automatically to sausages varying in diameter, or of differentdiameters.

Another object is-to provide the machine with a. traveling trough made up of rotatable members one of which includes cutting elements, these members cooperating to insure the rotation of each. sausage during the cutting operation; so that the skin or jacket will be properly slit at the selected point.

Another objectis to providea, machinewhich can be easily cleaned and will not readily get out of order. 7 a

With the foregoing, and other objects in View which; will appearas the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain, novel details. of construction and combinations of ra artsrl ierein-w after more fully described and pointed out. in theclaims, it being understoodthat changes may be made in the-construction and arrangement of parts without, departing from the spirit. of, the invention as. claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention h as been shown.

In said drawings ure 1 is: a n al. vertical s cti n aken thrcughthe machine from frontto rear.

Figure 2 is. asection on-line 2,.2,, Figure 1.,

Figure 3 is a sideelevation of; a portion of the gearing in one end portion of the machine.

F gu 4 s? an enlarged section throu h. on endportion of the, cutting un t. 2 v

fi ur 5 s an le ation of a. s usa e havin ann r isions. such as. p cducedby he pr sen machine. c F r 61 s an enla ge fec io hrough he movable ends of the drum. plates,- said, plates being spaced apart andshowinga snaprfastening means. Y r c ferin o h g e y. cha c e s of. rei rr nce, I desi natesa ba ea ng n instanding arm 2 and mounted on, the sides of the base are standards 3 and t carrying substantially circular heads 5 and 6 respectively. The head 6 has a recess Tin its inner side which is circular and has an internal gear 8. Head 5 is also provided with a recess 9 and. in this recess is secured a disk H1 provided" with an integral gear I I.

The gears 8 and Hare concentric with a shaft lzwhich is mounted at itsends in the two headsand adaptedto be rotated" by any suitable means such as a crank arm I3, if the shaft isto be actuated by hand. c

Secured to shaft l2 so as to rotate therewith are disks I4. and I5: which bear laterally against thrust bearings l6 and I1, the bearing I 6 being extended from disk It] while bearing I1 is extended from the head 6L A shaft It is journalled in the disks l l and I5 adjacent to the periphery thereof and projects hrou h, di k M7, he ie ge end e P 7 vided with a gear I9 which is secured thereto and is in constant mesh with the gear ll". Securedto this shaft is a feed' roll 20 which extends across the space between the disksM and I5 and has the outer portion of its periphery extended outwardly a short distance beyond the peripheries of the disks l4 and I5 7 1 Another shaft 2| is iournalledat its; ends in the: heads and I5 and is parallel with shaft l8, On. this shaft are mounted'a gang of circular cutting disks 22 which are held properly spaced by interposed sleeves 2's; Nuts24 are screwed onto the shaft so as to thrust against the end, sleeves 23 and thereby bind them tightly against the cutters and also to hold the cutters against rotation relative; to the shaft. Each sleeve 23 constitutes a bearing for a, roller 25 interposed between the adjacent cutters and extending out.- wardlyto points. adjacenttobut inwardly from the edges of the cutters, .These rollers are adapted to revolve freely on the spacing sleeves 2.3. A gear 26 is secured to one end of shaft 2| and is in constantmesh with gear 8.

The distance between the rollZO and they cuttelS 22' is such as to permit a sausage to be received betweenfthese elements and the cutters and roll 26 cooperate with an idler roll 21 to form asausage-receiving trough. This idler roll is supportedfor free rotation between the heads Mgand l5 and is slightly spaced from the edges of the cutters 22 so as not to dull them. It is supported close to or in contactwith the roll 20.

The disks I4 and 1,5 are connected by an arouate plate 28 secured to the peripheriesthereof V and extending from points close to thecuttersZZ to points substantially diametrically opposite to the cutters. A shiftable plate 29 is mounted on the peripheries of the disks I4 and I5 and, in the structure shown, has cars 30 which are pivotally mounted on the shaft I8 at the ends of roll 20. This movable plate 29 constitutes a hinged closure and is adapted to move into and out of lapping engagement with the plate 28 to which it can be detachably connected in any suitable manner, as by means of a snap projection or fastener 3I adapted to be seated in a notch 3I' in the plate 28. Plate 28 can be reenforced by inturned flanges 32 at its transverse edges.

Obviously by disengaging the two plates at the fastener 3I, the closure 29 can be swung outwardly so as to expose the interior of the drum formed by disks I4 and I5 and plates 28 and 29.

guide 33, said guide will adapt itself to sausages of different diameters so that all of them will be eiiiciently out while passing through the machine from the magazine to the outlet.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a rotatable drum, of an open trough carried by the drum and including a feed roll, an idler roll, and laterally spaced cutters, means operated by the rotation of the drum for rotating the feed roll and the cutters in opposite directions respectively, and a guide embracing the drum for closing the trough during a portion of the rotation of the drum.

It is to be understood of course that the trough formed by rolls and 21 and the cutters 22 opens outwardly between the peripheries of disks I4 and I5 and between plates 28 and 29.

An arcuate guide 33 extends partly around the drum from the top to the bottom thereof and is yieldingly supported by spacedsprings 34 or the like interposed between the lower portion of this guide and the base I. These can be coiled springs as shown mounted on studs 35 extending toward each other from the base and guide as shown.

Studs 36 can be extended toward each other from arm 2 and an intermediate portion of guide 33 as shown in Figure 1 and these studs can be engaged by a coiled spring 31, which serves to hold them normally spaced apart and to hold the guide 33 norm-ally pressed close to the periphery of the drum. The upper portion of the guide 33 has a magazine 38 extending upwardly therefrom and adapted to be filled by inserting sausages into the top thereof. The bottom of this magazine is open and is adapted to register with the trough in the drum once during each rotation of the drum. The lower endof guide 33 has an extension 39 constituting a delivery apron from which treated sausages are adapted to be delivered onto the base I or onto a container mounted on the base. 1 1

In practice the sausages to be out are placed in substantially horizontal positions one above the other within the magazine 38. The shaft I2 is then rotated in a clockwisedirection in Figure 1 and once during each rotationlthe trough formed by rolls 2!] and 21 and cutters 22 will be brought in position directly under the magazine 38. At that instant the lowermost sausage will drop into this trough. As the drum continues to rotate with shaft I2, gear I9 will travel around the stationary gear I I and thus cause roll 20 to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. At the same time shaft 2I will be rotated in the direction indicated because its gear 26.,travels along the internal gear 8. Consequently, during the movement of the drum asindicated, the sausage, which has been deposited in the trough and which has been indicated by broken lines at S in Figure 1, will be supported by the idler roll 21 and will cooperate with roll 20 and the inner arcuate surface of the guide 33 so as to roll downwardly along the inner surface of the guide 33 and oppositely to the direction ofrotation of the cutters 22. During this rolling operation the cutters will out through the skin or jacket of the sausage with the result that when the sausage is delivered from the extension or apron 39, it will be formed with regularly spaced annular incisions as shown at C in Figure 5.

By providing a yieldingly supported or floating 2. The combination with a rotatable drum, of an open trough carried by the drum and including a feed roll, an idler roll, and laterally spaced cutters, means operated by the rotation of the drum for rotating the feed roll and the cutters in opposite directions respectively, and a yieldingly pressed floating guide embracing the drum for closing the trough duringa portion of the rota tion of the drum.

3. The combination with a rotatable drum, of an open trough carried by the drum and including a feed roll, an idler roll, and laterally spaced cutters, means operated by the rotation of the drum for rotating the feed roll and the cutters in opposite directions respectively, and a guide embracing the drum for closing the'trough during a portion of the rotation of the drum, and means for directing sausages or the like one at a time into the trough while at one end'of the guide.

4. The combination with a rotatable drum, of

an open trough carried by the drum and includ ing a feed roll, an idler roll, and laterally spaced cutters, means operated by the rotation of the drumfor rotating the feed roll and the cutters in opposite directions respectively, a guide embracing the drum for closing the trough during a por tion of the rotation of the drum, and means carried by the guide for feeding sausages or the like one at a time into the trough during the rotation of the drum.

5. The combination with a rotatable drum, of an open trough carried by the drum and including a feed roll, an idler roll, and laterally spaced cutters, meansoperated by the rotation of the drum forrotating the feed roll and the cutters in opposite directions respectively, a guide embracing the drum for closing the trough during a portion of the rotation of the drum, andmeans carriedby the guide for feeding sausages or the like one at a time into the trough during the rotation of the drum, said feed roll and the guide cooperating to rotate a sausage within the trough and relative to the cutters during the rotation of the drum relative to the guide.

6. The combination with a drum mounted for rotation, of a trough carried by the drum and rotatable therewith, said trough including a feed roll, a series of laterally spaced rotatable cutters, and an idler roll between the feed roll and the cutters, an arcuate guide embracing a portion of the drum, means for directing a sausage into the trough, means for rotating the drum relative to the guide, and means operated by the rotation of the drum for rotating the feed roll and the cutters in opposite directions respectively, said feed roll andguide cooperating to rotate the sausage in the trough against the action of the cutters during the rotation of the drum.

7. The combination with a drum mounted for rotation, of a trough carried by the drum and comprising a. feed roll, laterally spacedrotatable cutters, and an idler'roll, a yieldingly supported floating arcuate guide embracin the d um nd o st u in a. osure for the t oug dur naa part qfthe ote on o t e .drurni for, directing a, sausageinto the trough, means for, rotating the relative to the guide and meansoperated by the rotation offthe drum for imultaneously otating he ee o iand; h cutters in opposite directions respectively, said feed roll and; the guide constitutingjmeans for efiecting rotation, oi'the sausage in the trough and.re1ativeto,the cutters;

8. The combination with a rotatable drum, of a trough therein and rotatable therewith, said trough comprising a feed roll, a series of laterally spaced cutting disks, and an idler roll interposed between the disks and the feed roll, stationary gears adjacent to the ends of the drum, a gear rotatable with the feed roll and in constant mesh with one of the stationary gears, a gear rotatable with the cutting disk and *in constant mesh with the other stationary gear,

all of the gears cooperating to rotate the feed roll and the cutting disk in opposite directions respectively during the rotation of the drum, means for rotating the drum, and an arcuate guide embracing the drum.

9. The combination with a rotatable drum, of a trough therein and rotatable therewith, said trough comprising a feed roll, a series of laterally spaced cutting disks, and an idler roll interposed between the disks and the feed roll, stationary gears adjacent to the ends of the drum, a gear rotatable with the feed roll and in constant mesh with one of the stationary gears, a gear rotatable with the cutting disk and in constant mesh with the other stationary gear, all of the gears cooperating to rotate the feed roll and the cutting disk in opposite directions respectively during the rotation of the drum, means for rotating the drum, a yieldingly supported floating arcuate guide embracing the drum and cooperating with the feed roll to rotate a sausage in the trough oppositely to the direction of movement of the cutting disk, and means for directing sausages one at a time into the trough.

10. A machine of the class described including stationary gears, a shaft mounted 'for rotation relative thereto and concentric therewith, heads rotatable with the shaft, opposed arcuate fixed and movable plates connecting the heads and cooperating therewith to form a drum, means for detachably connecting the plates, said plates being spaced apart at one end, a trough positioned between the spaced ends of the plates and comprising a feed roll, laterally spaced cutting disks, and an idler roll interposed between the disks and the feed roll, said'rolls and disks being supported between the heads, means cooperating with one of the gears for rotating the feed roll in one direction, means cooperating with the other gear for rotating the cutting disks in the opposite direction, and an arcuate guide embracing the drum and cooperating with the feed roll to rotate'a sausage within the trough and against the direction of movement of the cutting disks during the rotation of the drum.

11. A machine of the class described including stationary gears, a shaft mounted for rotation relative thereto and concentric therewith, heads rotatable with the shaft, opposed arcuate fixed and movable plates connecting the heads and cooperating therewith to form a drum, means for detachably connecting the plates, said plates being spaced apart at one end, a trough ting disks, and an -i dlerfrollinterposed between the disks and-thefeed roll, saidrolls-and disks being supportedbetween theiheads, means cooperating with one; of the; gears; for; rotating the feegl ftroll; in one direction, means cooperating with the other gear for rotating the cutting disks in; the; opposite direction, an arcuate guide embracing the drum, and cooperating withthe feed roll to rotate a sauSaQewithin-the; trough and against the direction of movement of the cutting disks during the rotation of the drum, and a sausage magazine opening downwardly toward the drum and adapted to register with and deliver a sausage into the trough once during each rotation of the drum.

12. A machine of the class described including stationary gears, a shaft mounted for rotation relative thereto and concentric therewith, heads rotatable with the shaft, opposed arcuate fixed and movable plates connecting the heads and cooperating therewith to form a drum, means for detachably connecting the plates, said plates being spaced apart at one end, a trough positioned between the spaced ends of the plates and comprising a feed roll, laterally spaced cutting disks, and an idler roll interposed between the disks and the feed roll, said rolls and disks being supported between the heads, means cooperating with one of the gears for rotating the feed roll in one direction, means cooperating with the other gear for rotating thecutting disks in the opposite direction, a yieldingly restrained floating arcuate guide embracing the drum, and a sausage magazine carried by the guide and opening downwardly toward the drum, said magazine being positioned to deposit a sausage into the trough once during each rotation of the drum relative to the guide.

13. The combination with a drum mounted for rotation, of a gang of rotatable cutters carried thereby, said drum and gang of cutters being rotatable about separate parallel axes respectively, means for feeding a sausage into position across and against the gang of cutters and substantially parallel with the drum, and means for rotating the sausage about its longitudinal center and relative to the drum and cutters to produce a plurality of parallell annular incisions in the sausage.

14. The combination with a drum mounted tact with the drum, and cooperating fixed andv movable means for rotating the sausage about its longitudinal center and relative to the drum and cutters to produce substantially parallel annular incisions in the sausage.

15. The combination with a sausage magazine, and a base, of rotatable means for supporting a sausage substantially parallel with the axes of rotation of said means and conveying the sausage from the magazine and delivering it adja cent to the base, a cutter carried by said means, said means and cutter having separate axes of rotation, and means for rotating the sausage about its longitudinal center and relative to the cutter and to the rotatable means while being positionedbetween the spaced ends ofthe plates. and comprising a feedroll, laterally spaced outof said means, and independently rotatable rolls parallel with said axis.

17. A machine for cutting annular slitsjin a sausage, said machine having an inlet and an outlet, a guide leading from the inlet to the outlet, and means for rolling a sausage from the inlet to the outlet, said means including a gang of rotatable cutters, means cooperating with the cutters to form a sausage-receivingtrough, and means for moving the trough along a path substantially parallel with the guide. l

VINCENT L. BUNDSCHU. 

